Atomizer



Dec. 8, 1936. J, TAYLOR 2,063,709

ATOMIZER Filed March 25, 1935 zal Patented 8, 1936 UNITED ,STATES PATENT -oFFlcE 6 Claims.

1 This invention relates to atomizers or nozzles, andan object of the invention is to generally improve the construction and operation of devices of this class.

. A( further Objectis to provide such a device which will accomplish extremely ilne spraying such for example that liquids so sprayed will have the physical appearance of a heavy vapor' or gas.

'A further object is to provide such a device which will atomize or spray all of the fluid supplied thereto, and prevent the dribbling of any fluid from the device. p

A further object is to provide such a device which will open upon being subjected to a given pressure only a predetermined limited amount.

A further object is to provide such a nozzle which is particularly adaptable for fuel injection in an internal combustion engine. v

A further object is to provide a construction of nozzle adapted to accomplish the above objects, and which can be provided with modified types of spraying orifices to provide diffusion of the spray at relatively short range, or at relatively longer ranges, as required.

A further object is to provide such a nozzlev which will inject fuel in increasing amounts substantially in accordance with the then increasing volume of an engine combustion space, whereby to maintain a substantially constant working pressure during the early stages of the working stroke, but without altering the characier of the spray fromthe above desirable characteristics while effecting such changes in volume of injection.

A further object is to provide such anozzle which will project the first part of a fuel' charge into a region favorable to ignition, and later parts into other regions.

More specifically an object is to provide a nozzle having the above characteristics and provided with a plurality of spray crices which may be arranged to open successively and to direct their respective sprays into different regions of an engine cylinder.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following specification and annexed drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a view, mostly in sectional elevation, of a form of my invention, having a plurality of atomlzing valves.

Figure 2 is an end view of the body portion of the atomizer shown in Figure 1.

In the drawing, like parts are identified by the same reference numbers throughout the several views.

Referring to Figure 1, this Shows a plurality of piston valves concentrically arranged around an inner or primary piston valve generally des- 5 ignated by numeral 65 in a valve housing 66. 'I'he nozzle has a body portion 61 which may be attached to an engine cylinder, and which carries means. I8 and 5l for connecting supply and return conduits for fuel. The valve housing 66 10 is suitably fixed with the body portion 61 and extends therefrom suiciently to reach through a cylinder wall. It has a bore 68 for reciprocation therein of a sleeve 68 constituting part of one oi' the piston valves above mentioned. A 15 sleeve 10 is reciprocable in the bore of sleeve 68 and constitutes part of a second valve, this lat- 4 ter sleeve having reciprocably supported'therein a stem 1| forming part of a third valve, 65 above mentioned. Sleeve 69 has a head portion 12 hav- 20 ing a seating surface bearing against a seat 18 on housing 66, the sleeve being upwardly urged by a spring 14 disposed in a bore 15 in the housing and acting against an adjusting nut 16 lo-` cated in a chamber 11 in the present instance 5 partly in housing 66 and partly in body 61. The nut has a tapered extension 18 engaged by a lock nut 18 to provide for the micrometric adjustment of the possiblev opening between head 12 and seat 13, and the nut, upon downward movement ment of the sleeve engages a shoulder 8l) formed at the upper end of bore 1'5 between it and a larger bore 8| to limit the movement of the sleeve and accordingly of the head 12.

'I'he movement of the sleeve is caused by fluid 35 pressure, the fluid entering the nozzle at I8, and passing through a passage-way 22 into a cutaway portion 82 oi housing 66, and thence through a duct 2| to an annular space 20 surrounding sleeve 68 adjacent head 12. Sleeve 40 `68 has anannular groove 88 registering substantially with space and extending to head 12, there being a clearance space 8l between space 20 and head 12l caused partly by an enlargement 85 of bore 68, and partly by annular 45 groove 88. A portion of the area of head 12 exposed to fluid pressure is thus unbalanced by pressure resulting from the area of bore 85 in excessof the area of bore 68, and this unbalanced pressure, when the total iiuid pressure becomes sufdcient, will overcome spring 14 and cause opening of the orifice between head 12 and seat 13. The movement, as above suggested is arrested by contact of nut 16 with shoulder 80.

A similar operative pressure arrangement is used for sleeve 10, the sleeve having a head 66, and a groove 81 at its lower end, and an adjusting nut 68 and lock nut 89 at its upper end. A spring acts between above mentioned adjusting nut 16 and nut 88, tending to close the orice between head 86 and a seat 9|, and upon movement ofsleeve 10, nut 88 contacts the upper end of sleeve 69 to limit the movement to the desired minute amount. Fluid for the movement of sleeve 10 reaches groove 61 through openings 92 and 93 in sleeve 69.

The primary valve is similarly pressure operative in arrangement, except that it is in the general form of a rod instead of a sleeve. It is provided with a head 94 seating on a seat portion 95 of sleeve 10, an annular groove 96, an adjusting nut 91 and a lock nut 98, a spring 99 acting between above mentioned nut 88 and adjusting nut 91 to continuously urge the valve toward closed position. Movement of valve 65 is limited by contact of nut 91 with sleeve 10, and fluid finds its way to groove 96 through openings |00 and |0| in sleeve 10.

To guard against the development of excess pressure in the nozzle, `a relief valve is provided generally designated by numeral |02; the same comprising a ball or other member |03 pressed against a seat |04 fixed in a bore |05 in body portion 61 in any suitable manner as, for example, by a bushing |06, the ball being acted upon by a longitudinally grooved plunger |01 A slidable in bushing |06 and in turn acted upon by a spring |08. Spring |08 acts between a head |09 xed with plunger |01 and a cap |0 fixed with body portion 61, the cap forming an abutment for the spring and a housing therefor and for head 09. Suitable means may be provided, if desired, for adjusting the stress in spring |08 to change the pressure at which the valve will open and prevent further pressure rise. A passage leads from duct 2.2 to bore |05 below seat |04 to transmit the pressure of the fluid to ball |03, and a suitable duct I2 extends from a point adjacent head |09 to chamber 11, to conduct any fluid escaping from the valve to the chamber whence it escapes from an overflow duct 3 and connection 54. Any fluid leaking by the stem of valve 65 or any of the sleeves, also escapes through chamber 11 and duct ||3.

The construction just described can be readily adapted to more or less than three spray orifices, the disclosed construction being illustrative merely, and exemplary of a form which would operate as described, and serve the purposes dis.

In practice the separate heads 12, 86, and 94 together with their respective seats are so formed as to direct their separate sprays into different regions of an engine cylinder, and the springs 14, 90, and 99 are graduated in strength relative to the unbalanced areas or their respective valve or nozzle heads so that one orifice will open at some predetermined minimum pressure, another upon a predetermined increase in pressure, another upon a further increase, and so on, any increase beyond a desirable maximum being prevented by the opening of the relief valve |02. The desirable change or rise in pressure necessary for this successive opening of the spray orifices may be obtained by any suitable or well known arrangement of the injection pump or other fluid supply.

It is then possible to cause the spray from the rst opening orice, by suitably forming the head and seat thereof, to be projected into a region favorable to prompt and certain ignition and to cause the next jet to be projected into a different region, for example, into the space vacated by a retreating piston, and also so as to be directly ignited from the previously ignited and still burning jet. Similarly the next jet' may b e directed further into the vacated space left by the already burning in the cylinder. Relatively large amounts of fuel may thus be injected into a cylinder without any tendency to the ill effects of delayed ignition, and the combustion is uniformly clean and complete.

It has been found desirable in many instances to arrange the device so that the central or lowermost valve opens first, the orifices opening preferably in regular order from the lowermost to the uppermost, but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be taken as limited to this order of opening, or to the specific direction of the jets, except as may be defined in the claims.

A further advantage of the use of this nozzle in a combustion engine is the opportunity to inject fuel at an increasing rate while maintaining uniformly fine atomization throughout an atomization period. With the ordinary nozzle giving atomization at only a substantially constant flow there is a. marked drop in pressure in the cylinder immediately after dead center. And any attempt to correct this by increasing the capacity of the nozzle will result in excessive pressure at dead center and create an undesirable detonation effect.

With the nozzle of the present invention, only a very small amountof fuel need be injected through the primary orifice until the piston begins to recede, after which the fuel may be injected at a rate increasing in accordance with the increasing volume of the cylinder space, but under no circumstances would any fuel be injected at any pressure less than a satisfactory minimum determined by the springs 14, 90, and 99, nor would any fuel be injected through a jet larger than the desirable maximum determined by the nuts 16, 98, and 91 in the illustrated embodiment.

A further advantage of the invention lies in increased reliability. 'I'hus in the event that any of the spray valves become inoperative for any reason, the others can continue to inject fuel and piston, and also so as to be ignited from the fire keep the engine running. While the device is, of

course, not intended to be operated in such a condition, in case of emergency this capability might become invaluable. v

From the foregoing it will be apparent that a construction of nozzle has been devised which will accomplish the objects above enumerated, and what is claimed as new and desired to be `secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a Spray nozzle the combination of a body l having a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable therein, each of said members having an 'enlarged head seating upon adjacent surfaces exteriorly of said body, and each head together with its adjacent surfaces constituting a spray nozzle, means supplying uid adjacent said heads under pressure sufficient to produce movement of said members, means yieldably opposing movement of each movable member, and separate means positively limiting said movement to microscopic amounts, the parts being so proportioned that said nozzles will open successively in predetermined order upon increase of iiuid pressure.

2. In a spray nozzle -for an internal combustion engine of the injection type the combination of a nozzle body having a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable in said bore, each of said members having a head constituting a valve member, a plurality of valve seats, one for each valve member, each valve and seat constituting a separate spray nozzle, disposed exteriorly of said body, means supplying fuel under pressure to said nozzles adjacent said heads and tending to move said members, and means yieldably opposing said movement, the parts being so proportioned that said nozzles will open successively in predetermined order during increase in fluid pressure, the first opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray laterally of an engine cylinder, the second opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray somewhat axially of said cylinder, but in a region to be directly ignited from the rst injected fuel, and succeeding opening nozzles being formed to direct their sprays more and more axially of said cylinder, but each in a region to be directly ignited from the previously injected fuel.

3. In a spray nozzle the combination of a bo having a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable therein, each of said members having an enlarged head seating upon adjacent surfaces exteriorly of said body, and each head together with its adjacent surfaces constituting a spray nozzle, means supplying fiuid adjacent said heads under pressure suiiicient to produce movement of said members, means yieldably opposing movement of each movable member, and separate means positively limiting the movement of each of said members to microscopic amounts, said separate means being adjustable to determine individually the amount of movement permitted each member. 1

4. In a spray nozzle the combination of a body having .a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable therein, each of said members having an enlarged head seating upon adjacent surfaces exteriorly of said body, and each head together with its adjacent surfaces constituting a spray nozzle, means supplying fluid adjacent said heads under pressure suiiicient to produce movement of said members, means yieldably opposing movement of each movable member, and means positively limiting the movement of one of said members to microscopic amounts.

5. In a spray nozzle for aninternal combustion engine of the injection type the combination of a nozzle body having a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable in said bore, each of said members having a head constituting a valve member, a plurality of valve seats, one for each valve member, each valve and seat constituting a separate spray nozzle disposed exteriorly of said body, means supplying fuel under pressure to said nozzles adjacent said heads and tending to move said members, and means yieldably opposing said movement, the parts being so proportioned that said nozzles will open successively in predetermined order during increase in fluid pressure, the first opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray into one region of an engine cylinder, the second opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray into a different region of said cylinder, but in position to be directly ignited from the first injected fuel, and succeeding opening nozzles being formed to direct their sprays into still other regions of said cylinder, but in each case into a position to be directly ignited from previously injected fuel.

6. In a spray nozzle for an internal combustion engine of the injection type, the combination of a nozzle body having a bore, a plurality of telescopic members movable in said bore, each of said members having a head constituting a valve member, a plurality of valve seats, one for each valve member, each valve and seat constituting a separate spray nozzle disposed exteriorly of said body, means supplying fuel under pressure to said nozzles adjacent said heads and tending to move said members, and means yieldingly opposing said movement, the parts being so proportioned that said nozzles will open successively in predetermined order during increase in fluid pressure, stop means individual to the several nozzles and adjustable to limit the opening thereof to predetermined amounts, the first opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray into a region favorable to ignition of said spray, the second opening nozzle being formed to direct its spray into a different region of said cylinder, but in position to be directly ignited from the rst injected fuel, and succeeding opening nozzles being formed to direct their sprays into still other regions of said cylinder, the stop limiting the opening of each individual nozzle being adjusted lin accordance with the character of spray required of that particular nozzle, and each succeeding spray being directed into a position to be directly ignited from previously injected fuel.

JOHN L. TAYLOR. 

